norma noir

photo by danny feser

I don't do halloween, so I thought I would unveil my new black norma kamali coat, instead. after all, this will be my costume for the upcoming winter. I actually bought this coat this past spring at the norma kamali store in new york city and I must say it is my ultimate dream coat. I have been looking for a soft black coat for ages and I knew that norma kamali would be the one. my coat has that classic norma kamali silhouette and I love how you can wear it with a belt or without. I like it both ways, but in this photo, I cinched the belt around my waist too show the shape that it can create. its very rare for me to find a coat that can fit my body well and this one definitely has all that I have been looking for....I really lucked out with this one. I took this photo in my parent's beach house a couple of months ago and I thought with that setting and my traditional minimal look I could do something dynamic. so I added my floral headdress and sunnies with my coat to create a haunting look with a noir chic sensibility. I guess you could say that this is my sisters in black interpretation of halloween.....the only difference is that I will be wearing my coat for years to come. thanks again to norma kamali for making my winter look complete, she never disappoints!

wild flower

photo by petrovsky & ramone

the inspiration for my norma kamali with floral headdress photo came from this image I found a couple of months ago from the may 2013 issue of vogue netherlands and an editorial entitled wild flower. the layout was shot on the beautiful shores of curaçao island and in case you cannot tell that is model erin wasson beneath the veil and florals. there is so much expression conveyed in this photo and I love all the drama that is captured. its such a winning combination with those beach waves and the way it contrasts with the texture and color of her black veil......who knew the two together could be so stylish. I know my image is not at all similar, but I thought with my floral headdress and the silhouette of my norma kamali winter coat I could embody the spirit of this amazing photo. there really is something so noir chic about hiding behind a veil or coat.....its a look I never get sick of and I love finding gorgeous images like this that can inspire me. on a side note, I have never heard of these two photographers, but I am so glad to take notice of them. sometimes, when looking through international vogue magazines, you can discover some really amazing talents. these two are definitely ones that I have my eyes on and if you haven't seen this editorial I highly suggest you take a look. it certainly takes bohemian noir chic to the next level!

in her hands

peggy's silver nails and jewelry

I end my new mexico photo series, with what I think was my most inspiring sartorial moment. I featured a portrait of peggy earlier with her amazing silver earrings and turquoise necklace, but I think the most beautiful part about her was her hands. I bought some silver rings at her boutique and while I was trying on rings I couldn't help but be inspired by her own silver jewelry. even though I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to accessorizing I was quite taken with the way she styled her rings and bracelets. I even loved the way it coordinated with her silver nails. its kind of hard to tell because it is a black and white photo, but her nails looked pretty incredible with that jewelry. I don't know why, but she reminded me of michele lamy (rick owen's wife and muse). she just had something similar in the way she dressed and carried herself, and I was totally impressed by all that adornment. I could never get away with that much jewelry, but I think peggy just had a nonchalant way of making this work. this is what personal style is all about and I feel so fortunate to have met her and for her to kindly let me photograph her and her hands. I encountered a lot of stylish women in new mexico who knew how to accessorize in a way that didn't look like excessorizing. I know my words may sound strange, but I think it somewhat makes sense as I think there is a major difference between the two. on a side note, I don't think I will ever have such an inspiring encounter like this again, but I will very much treasure this sartorial moment that I had with peggy and in case you are wondering I am now thinking that I should attempt wearing silver nail polish, maybe it could go with my new silver jewelry.....we'll see! at any rate, its really interesting how much personal style you can discover while traveling. peggy was very sisters in black frocks approved and it really was so lovely too meet such a kind and chic woman, like her.....only in new mexico, could something like this happen!

azzedine arizona

photo by peter lindbergh

last week, I was organizing my magazine archives and stumbled upon the january 1995 issue of harper's bazaar. inside there was an editorial entitled azzedine arizona and for some reason it made me think of some of my photos that I took in new mexico. I feel like I was subconsciously inspired by this layout. it took me awhile to figure out, but I knew back in mind that this was the one on my mind. I love the way peter lindbergh photographed arizona and the way amber valletta's facial expressions with that azzedine alaïa wardrobe tell a story. its 90's minimal fashion with a wild wild west sensibility and I think the two work so well together. by far, the best part is the opening page of the editorial and the quote by azzedine alaïa himself, it reads:


azzedine alaia has always been something of a fashion pioneer, blazing a trail of his own design. this season, that trail heads west......I adore the the real style of america: the heart of the west the spirit of the cowboy.


I'm enamored with the look, style, and art direction of this entire layout.....its natural, simple, and I think it totally captures the spirit of the west. peter lindbergh has such a gift for capturing this kind of natural beauty. this natural noir look is still present in his work today, but I must say I loved what he did at harper's bazaar back in the 90's. liz tilberis was the editor-in-chief at the time, and I was totally inspired by her vision during this era. I think if you grew up in the 90's reading vogue and harper's bazaar, you can understand what a magical time in fashion, this was. liz tilberis's eye was impeccable and she truly understood how to blend fashion into photography and vice versa. this will always be a classic harper's bazaar layout and it is great to reminiscent back on this one after visiting new mexico. its all about wild west noir chic. here are some of my favorite images from azzedine arizona....


when nature meets fashion.....a beautiful blend of fringe and the west



even though I can't see this azzedine alaïa shearling coat, in full, I love the detail....perfect when wandering in the west



blending plaid, a deerskin skirt, and some fringed gloves.....love the close-up detail of that glove in the dirt



love the way amber valletta's bare face somehow corresponds with those arizona rocks, two kinds of natural beauty!

new mexico noir

noir chic in taos....



outside the cementary in taos....very creepy noir chic!

perhaps, the most inspiring style moments happened in taos, new mexico. one day my family and I went to visit the taos pueblo, which happens to be over 1000 years old, and belongs to the tiwa-speaking native american tribe. not only do they live there but they also sell their jewelry, art, and interesting artifacts, on this reservation. its quite surreal walking through this pueblo as it is so spacious and vast, but I enjoyed meeting the people and of course, checking out all the lovely silver jewelry made there. in true sisters in black fashion, I decided to style some quick fashion moments in taos. right away, when I entered the pueblo I noticed a cemetery, so naturally I felt the need to cover my face with my hat and sunnies, and do something extremely dark. I've heard its bad luck to take photos in a cemetary, but I couldn't resist. personally, I just liked how noir chic in the desert this looked....very hedi slimane with an anton corbijn twist. I also couldn't help, but be inspired by this adobe church I came across. I just loved how it looked from a distance, so I thought with my all black ensemble, it would make for an interesting photo, especially with the architecture and perspective. it was all so spontaneous how this happened, but that is the beauty of traveling and discovering new places....sometimes, the most simplest moments can lead to style inspiration. I was quite pleased how it all turned out. I was also glad to have this moment with my dad. I have been meaning to feature him more on sisters in black, but I just like how we are posing in this pueblo......as you can see our love for a good pair of sunnies runs in the family. it really was such a good feeling to have experienced some new mexico noir, who knew!?


in our sunnies....a new mexico moment with my dad



pueblo pose....

the getaway

on top of the kasha-katuwe tent rocks in new mexico.....noir chic style


my mom the explorer....love how this feels like a page out of national geographic or a scene from
the english patient

its been a little over a year, since my family and I went on a vacation, but we managed to get away for a week in new mexico. last time we went there was about 15 years ago and I feel like a lot has changed since then. at any rate, we all had an amazing time and it feels so good to escape from a big city for awhile and discover something new. we stayed in santa fe, but traveled to places like taos, madrid, and we even did a little hiking adventure in the kasha-katuwe tent rocks outside of santa fe. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was quite taken by the scenery. it was so cinematic and immediately I felt inspired by the look and style of these rocks. immediately, I thought of anthony minghella's film, the english patient.....so naturally, I knew this would be a photo adventure. of course, I took some images and my brother in law, danny....kindly took some photos of me too, while hiking in the mountains. my mom is usually very shy when it comes to photos, but I was glad when she posed for me. I love how she looks in this moment, almost like a page out of condé nast traveller....very noir chic in the mountains. I even felt a little anton corbijn inspired when I took this photo of danny in the mountains....I recently was looking back at his images he took of U2 for their joshua tree album, it somehow came to mind, while hiking. on a side note, I know it looks as though I am wearing a turtleneck dress in the first photo, but I actually cropped the pic to make it look that way. I am actually wearing jodhpurs....my current pant obsession, so stylish and comfortable. you can actually see in the last photo how they drape and fit. I wanted danny to take a photo of me from a distance too see how they actually look. I am not sure if you can tell, but they are the best pants. overall, the whole kasha-katuwe experience was pretty amazing and so visually inspiring. I have so many photos to share as this is just part one, but more to come throughout the whole week.....stay tuned!


a noir chic moment with my brother-in-law, danny. he is an amazing photographer and I think of
him as my brother in black, I was in an anton corbijn inspired mood with him as we hiked


from a distance in the kasha-katuwe tent rocks, with my new black hat and jodhpurs....feeling sporty noir chic.

tesuque chic

peggy has a jewelry store at the tesuque flea market....I was very much inspired by the way she dressed
and accessorized....she proves that you can be chic at any age



just trying to blend in with my pleats please messenger bag outside the dark bird palace....love this collage
by artist kelly moore....reminds me of jean-michel basquiat mixed in with a southwestern influence



before we left for new mexico I bought my sister a leather waist pack....I was glad she wore it throughout our
time in new mexico, I especially loved the way her whole ensemble blended in with these southwestern rugs

last weekend, my family and I went to the tesuque flea market in santa fe and we were pleasantly surprised by all the style we encountered. in case you are unfamiliar with the tesuque flea, it is held every friday through sunday and it has vendors from all over the world selling a variety of goods such as rugs, jewelry, art, pottery, clothing, and so much more....its a definite must see if you are visiting new mexico. I was surprised by how friendly everyone was and I enjoyed wandering around and meeting the local people. I didn't know what to expect, but I guess that is what made the tesuque flea market so special. perhaps, the best part was when I bought a silver ring from a very stylish woman named peggy. I don't even know how to describe her look....I guess you could say she reminded of a southwestern michele lamy, I am not sure if this photo shows just that, but I have another image that shows some style connections, especially in the way she wears her jewelry. at any rate, I totally loved her style and the way she accessorized and adorned herself. she is beautiful and I loved the way she did her makeup, too, especially those red lips. as for me, this was the only day I wore a little bit of color and I liked the way my chartreuse scarf and nike sneakers, color coordinated with the dark bird palace at the flea market.....its an unexpected combination, but I think it blended quite well with the art work. another stylish moment came when my sister and I were looking at rugs and I thought to myself it would be interesting if she posed in front of this southwestern style carpet. the funny part is that I think it looks very moroccan with a new mexico vibe....its a surprising combo, but I think it somehow worked. my sister's style has something about it that very much blends those two cultures together....I was happy to capture this moment, such striking patterns and prints. by far, the tesuque flea market was a highlight of my trip and I love it when I feel somewhat inspired by color. I know I will be back to black, but for now, I think these bright moments feel rather appropriate.

sun bella

denise in black

in keeping with my black dress inspiration this week, I have yet another interesting story to tell. last weekend, while walking on the beach, I happened to notice a woman in black walking towards me. for a second I thought it was a dream. from a distance, she almost even looked like me with her black hat and the way her black dress undulated in the wind. it looked so cinematic and immediately I was inspired. there was something about her that just felt very sisters in black frocks, so I decided to go and talk to this mystery woman. right away, I complimented her, on her style and asked her about her entire ensemble. denise, the mystery woman, told me that her hat was by san diego hat company and that she designed her poncho she was wearing. she runs a clothing line called sun bella apparel, which as she calls it, stylish protection for the sun and I couldn't agree more with her design philosophy. she is still in the process of building her business, but I feel like she has a bright future ahead, as I totally understand her way of thinking. we talked for awhile and right away we connected style wise. she totally got my obsession with looking incognito chic and how glamorous it is too hide behind an oversized black hat, whether on the beach, or just in your everyday life. after our conversation, I asked if she would do some sartorial shots for my blog and she totally agreed. with the beach wind and her gorgeous outfit everything just fell into place, naturally. I took many images, but this was my favorite just because I love the drapery of her poncho....it feels very madame grès at the beach. this really was such an unexpected surprise for all this to happen, but I am so glad to have met denise that sunday, especially because earlier in the day, I was saying to myself.....I think I am lacking style inspiration, in my life. I guess I was being a little bit dramatic and perhaps, spoke too soon. at any rate, thanks again to denise for the lovely photos and I can't wait to purchase one of her ponchos....so noir chic!